What is the meaning of Leviticus 14:18? The rest of the oil in his palm • In the ritual for cleansing a person once afflicted with a skin disease, the priest first pours some of the log of oil into his left hand (Leviticus 14:15-16). What remains after the initial sprinkling is “the rest of the oil.” • Oil in Scripture regularly symbolizes the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying presence (1 Samuel 16:13; Zechariah 4:6). Just as the oil is literal, so is the picture: after forgiveness is pronounced, there is still more of God’s work to be applied. • The fact that the oil stays in the priest’s palm highlights that this grace comes from God through His appointed mediator (cf. Hebrews 5:1-3). the priest is to put on the head of the one to be cleansed • By placing the oil on the head, the priest publicly identifies the formerly unclean person as accepted and restored. The head represents the whole person (Psalm 133:2). • This act follows the earlier application of oil to the right ear, thumb, and big toe (Leviticus 14:17), moving from specific faculties to the entire life. • The sequence mirrors our salvation experience: God first touches individual areas, then claims the whole self (Romans 12:1-2). • The priest alone performs the action, pointing forward to Christ, our High Priest, who “is able to save to the uttermost” (Hebrews 7:25). to make atonement for him before the LORD • “Atonement” (covering, reconciliation) underscores that cleansing from leprosy is not merely physical but deeply spiritual (Isaiah 53:5). • Placing oil on the head signals that the atonement already achieved by the blood (Leviticus 14:14) is now applied and enjoyed. • The phrase “before the LORD” reminds us that every true cleansing must satisfy God’s righteous standard (Romans 3:25-26). • Together, blood and oil foreshadow the cross and the Spirit: Christ pays the price, and the Spirit seals the benefit (1 John 5:6-8; Ephesians 1:13-14). summary Leviticus 14:18 shows the priest using the remaining oil to crown the cleansed person, portraying the comprehensive reach of God’s redemption. The literal act assures Israel—and us—that once sin is forgiven through sacrifice, the Lord also anoints, restores, and publicly affirms the believer, completing the circle of atonement in His presence. |
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